A Mother: What More Beautiful Words Could We Hear?
I found Cardinal Martini's conference deeply moving, subtle, and rich with themes to contemplate and develop. Beyond the opening words of Jesus—those forgiving and reassuring words from Luke: "Do you think those Galileans were greater sinners than all the other inhabitants of Jerusalem?" and again: "Neither he nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him"—I was struck by his passionate call for us to open ourselves, not to close ourselves off, to decide to cast away this terrible weight of our negative sides: the guilt that bears no fruit, the anxieties, the bitterness, the worries. Saint Francis de Sales moved me deeply with the phrase about "the restlessness of being restless." But if we are to move forward on our path of faith—our earthly pilgrimage—we must set aside all thoughts that weigh us down, because "God asks other things of us." Jesus shifts the focus to the *why*. Our child is as he is "so that marvelous works might be displayed in him." And our testimony of love, our strength to love, is a unique gift to the Church. What more beautiful words could we have hoped to hear?
by Luisa Nardini, 1986
Read also: Cardinal Martini Meets with Parents: "So That the Works of God Might Be Displayed in Him"
A Father: I Was Struck
I was struck by the depth of Cardinal Martini's observations on a subject that weighs most heavily on us parents' hearts. I have known the shock of that first moment, when a cruel reality makes us cry out: why did this have to happen to me? I have known the refusal that drives us to struggle—often, sadly, in vain—to find a cure, as if we could somehow erase with one stroke the nightmare that torments us. I have known the loss of a normal life, the freedom others enjoy, friendships, and the peace we thought was our due—and these losses have made us forget too often the real suffering of those we love. A kind of selfishness takes hold of us. We cling to the world around us with its promises of comfort, unwilling to accept sacrifice and surrender. We ask ourselves whether such a difficult life is worth living, abandoned as we often are by relatives, misunderstood by friends, cut off from the rest of the world. Self-pity blinds us; we cannot see beyond our own interests. Too often we seek distractions that distance us from our heavy responsibilities, at the expense of those reaching out for affection and protection. We do not realize that we receive more than we can possibly give: this is the heart of Cardinal Martini's message. Will we parents have the strength to follow in the footsteps of Saint Francis without taking shortcuts? Our duties are heavy, our lives demand constant surrender. Yet look at our children smiling at us. Look at the joy that shines from their eyes. Look at the gratitude they give us in return.
by Giuseppe Barluzzi, 1986